


Orange

by Emily_F6



Series: Penny Parker Prompts [8]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Female Peter Parker, Gen, Infinity War, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Penny Parker - Freeform, Soul Stone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:54:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26159104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emily_F6/pseuds/Emily_F6
Summary: Prompt: An Infinity War story with Tony and Penny/ Protective Tony after Infinity War
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Penny Parker Prompts [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1899553
Comments: 3
Kudos: 209





	Orange

Orange. Dead, terrifying orange. Empty. Cold.

So cold.

Penny was so, so cold.

She had been so cold for so long.

She sat on the ground, head resting against her knees. Shaking.

Then there was someone with her. Not Mr. Stark. Mr. Stark had held her close and gripped her arms and promised that she was alright. She wasn't alright.

There was someone beside her, kneeling on the freezing ground. How long had it been? How long has she been here, curled up in a ball on the so cold ground? How long had she been sobbing into her hands, body trembling, face exposed? She was in her suit, but not the mask. Cold…could she turn on her heater? Not without her mask…

How long since she'd apologized to an anguished Mr. Stark who didn't deserve to see her die…who would blame himself when it wasn't his fault. Would she ever see him again? Would she ever see May again?

It had hurt. Being torn apart…but not. Not torn. Pulled? Ripped? No…those meant the same thing. She had been…dissolved. She'd watched her body turn to ash and dust and…it had hurt. Her body had tried to repair itself. But her healing factor wasn't fast enough. And it had hurt.

"Spider-Girl? Right? That's…that's what they call you? Spider-Girl?"

She didn't know. Didn't care. She wanted to go home. Wanted to hug May and laugh with Mr. Stark and get warm again. Did she even know that voice? Who had been around when she'd disappeared? The space people…but that voice wasn't one of them.

She didn't look up. Didn't want to risk being alone. Didn't want to risk looking only to find out that she was hallucinating. She was crying. Shaking. Too young and too scared and too alone.

She could hear people screaming from far away.

"Spider-Girl. I'm Bucky. You with me, kid?"

"Shit, how old is she?" Someone else asked, sounding upset.

She wanted to go home she wanted Mr. Stark he would save her he always saved her.

She was so scared.

He would save her.

"Alright, kid. I know…this is pretty scary, but it's okay." Had she said all of that out loud?

"What's your real name, Spider-Girl?" The other man asked, and she peeled up, finally letting herself look. She knew these men. They were kneeling in front of her and they were real. Right. She reached out a hand, watching her glove-covered fingers grip the darker-skinned arm. Falcon.

"You're real? Are…are you really…you're here?" She gasped out the words and wondered when it had gotten hard to breathe. The long-haired man looked sad. Tired. But the one whose arm she was holding nodded, not seeming bothered by her reaction.

"Yeah. We're real. I'm not sure where 'here' is but we're here with you." He shifted his arm a little so his fingers could curl around hers and she stared at their hands for a long time, gasping for air and fighting the urge to scream. It was like her brain was refusing to take this in. It didn't make sense. None of it made sense.

"Mr. Stark? Where…where is he?"

"Not sure, kid," Falcon told her. They were both just crouching there, watching her. She didn't have a mask.

"I'm Spider-Girl." She whispered, not sure why her voice was so low or why she was sobbing or how to stop. "I'm…I'm Spider-Girl."

"Yeah? I'm Falcon, but my real name is Sam."

"We're using our made up names." She wasn't sure where that thought had come from, or why she'd said it out loud, or why she was laughing through her tears, all too aware of how they were looking at her. Like she'd snapped. Maybe she had. Maybe her mind had snapped and she'd never be okay again and she'd never get out.

"Well, his made-up name is the Winter Soldier, but you can call him Bucky." She nodded, trying to pull it together. Trying to breathe.

"My chest hurts." She choked out, eyes searching out Sam's.

"That's because you're not breathing right, kid. Think you can tell me your real name? I'm guessing Spider-Girl is made up." She nodded but didn't speak. "Okay. Breathe in with me and hold it. You with me." She nodded, clutching his hand and doing as he'd asked, holding her breath. After about five seconds, he released his breath and did the same, releasing it for a few seconds and then breathing in.

The lightheadedness started to go away and her chest loosened. "Penny." She told him when she could breathe again, eyes drifting shut, head resting on her knees once more. "Penny Parker."

"Nice to meet you, Penny Parker." Sam kept a hold of her hand, thumb rubbing over her knuckles as she breathes, bringing her other hand up to wipe at her eyes. "You feel better?" She nodded.

"I hear screaming," Penny told him. "They're…they're screaming somewhere." Sam nodded.

"There's a lot of people here…half the population."

"Of Earth?" She asked. He shook his head.

"The universe. No telling how big this place is." Her breathing spread up again, and it took a long time for it to calm down again, Sam coaching her, calming her down, and Bucky stayed by her side, not touching or talking but just being there.

"You're not alone, kid. You're an Avenger, right?" Bucky asked after a long time. She sniffed, sobbing a little and trying to calm down. But she remembered standing on that ship, Mr. Stark putting a hand on one shoulder then the other.

"Yeah. I'm…I'm an Avenger."

"Alright. There are a couple of us here. We've got your back. Okay?" She didn't know if Bucky was technically an Avenger but she didn't care. She wasn't alone.

He held out a metal hand and she took it, letting him pull her to her feet and guide her, a man on either side, and they all walked. She didn't ask where they were going. She just followed. And then they were…beside a tent? A lean-to? The whole world was desert and sand and rocks, but someone had stacked rocks and draped fabric until there was almost a tent.

She wanted to lay down. Wanted to sob and scream and die. She wanted Mr. Stark. Wanted the world to make sense again. Wanda and Vision were both sitting on the rocks, heads together, fingers entertained. Both stared at her. Sam and Bucky led her over to the rocks and she pulled away, crawling over to the rock wall and curling up into a ball. She wanted to sleep. To give in. She didn't want to be here anymore.

There was silence for a while. She didn't know how long. Then voices. A man whose accent she recognized but didn't care to place.

Was Ned here somewhere? May? MJ? She knew Mr. Stark wasn't. He would have found her. He always found her.

A man sat beside her. Bucky. His hand rested on her shoulder and his thumb rubbed back and forth over her suit. She was in a dream, right? She didn't feel hungry or thirsty. She hadn't had to use the bathroom. So it had to be a dream.

After he left, another man came. This one didn't touch her, but he spoke. "Spider-Girl?" She rolled over just a little, stiff and sore but not. It was Dr. Strange. "Hello."

"Hi." She whispered. How long had it been since she'd spoken?

"You are Tony Stark's…child?" He asked. She wasn't sure how to answer, so she nodded. She was also May's child but he didn't know May. "This was the only way to defeat Thanos."

She didn't care. It wasn't fair. She was so afraid and sick and lonely. "You saw?" She asked, finally sitting up against the rocks, knees to her chest. She didn't see anyone else around. Maybe they walked. Found others. It was never dark there. Never light either. Just orange.

"Yes."

"Will we win?"

He was quiet for a moment. Sad. Then he nodded. "I think so."

"How long have we been here?" He shook his head.

"I don't know."

Every day, if they could even be called that, was the same. Orange. Dead. Screaming. After a long time, Penny started to walk with the others. Never really talking, but Bucky and Sam didn't ask her to. Bucky would pat her on the back and they would walk around the dead, always cold sand. Sam and Bucky would talk…they talked about their lives and Sam's family…they talked about Bucky's past.

One day, Penny told them about May. And Ben.

And Mr. Stark. She told them about Mr. Stark finding her, recruiting her, mentoring her. She skipped the bad parts. Everything in this place was awful and cold and orange…she didn't want to think about the bad parts. Instead, as if a switch had been flipped, she went on and on about working in the lab and ordering pizza and Christmas presents and hugs after nightmares and ignored the incredulous expressions they wore. They hadn't known that Mr. Stark.

She was sitting alone, but not quite alone, when it started. Her fingers were first, and she glanced up at Wanda. Wanda had been with her for a while now. The two had been talking, just a little. Wanda had put a hand on her shoulder to calm her…it had been wonderful to feel calm again. She never felt calm here. Anxious. Afraid. Waiting. Cold. But not calm.

Her fingers were dissolving and so were Wanda's. But Wanda's body wasn't fighting it. Her friend was gone in seconds and Penny felt herself sob. "No." She whispered. "Not again no no…". It hurt. It burned and her body drifted away and she wanted Mr. Stark. She wanted May. "Please. Please." She whimpered.

Then she screamed.

She hadn't screamed the first time. Mr. Stark has been there and she hadn't wanted him to know that it hurt. Now she was alone and she screamed. "No! Please!" She screamed the words over and over until her body was gone her face was gone she watched ash in the wind and then…

Bright.

Too bright.

Unbearably, painfully bright.

She screamed but it was too loud so she stopped.

Loud. Wind. Words. Footsteps. Heartbeats.

Eleven. Dialed to eleven. Twelve. Thirty. Six hundred. A dial turned to the max and windows shattering and fingers touched her and she screamed again. It felt like someone was beating her…rubbing a wire brush over her skin. Pain. Everything was pain.

"Penny? Honey, it's okay. Hey…" She didn't open her eyes…didn't move from where she was curled into a ball, but just the barest whisper met her ears and she listened. "Penny?" The man swore under his breath, fingers squeezing her arm, and she heard herself scream again, the noise too loud for her sensitive ears. "Okay…I'm sorry. No touching, I got it." He choked out. "I know…I know it's too much right now. I know. But you're safe. You're safe now. I…we got you back." She rocked back and forth on the too-hard ground, gasping for air. "Okay. Breathe, honey. Just…just breathe for now."

She tried to open her eyes, but the light was immediately too much and she groaned, slamming them shut. "Easy. Easy, Pen." There was silence for a moment, but his heartbeat was there.

"Mr. Stark?" She whimpered, lip trembling, and it hit her. Mr. Stark. He was there. He had gotten her back…back to life. Or reality or…something. Everything was painful but this was more important. She reached out, opening a hand and reaching for him, and immediately he took her hand, letting her squeeze. "Mr. Stark!"

"That's me, kiddo. I'm here. You're back. You're safe. I'm right here." He was crying and she pulled him closer, using his arm to pull herself and bury her face in his scratchy shirt. Suit?

"It was cold…so cold. Mr. Stark…" She whimpered, sobbing. Shaking. "I couldn't…I couldn't…"

"I know. It's okay." He murmured, his cheek resting on her head. "I'm here. It's okay. You're safe now."

"You ready to blow this joint or what!?" The voice behind her was almost painfully loud and she flinched, gripping his arm and trying to hide.

Mr. Stark wrapped an arm more tightly around her, pulling her close. The contact made it better, actually, and she pulled herself even closer, fisting a hand in his shirt. He must have made some kind of face or something because it went quiet again. "Alright, honey. We're going to go home. Back to the compound. Are you ready?" She shuddered but managed to nod. Her whole body hurt. Like she'd been curled up in a ball for….days. Hours? Years? She didn't know. She let go of him for long enough for him to stand, then took his hand…but her legs buckled and Mr. Stark rushed to catch her. "Woah…Penny?"

"I…I can't…" She gasped, and he wrapped an arm around her side, standing slowly and leaning her against him.

"Okay. That's fine." Then he was speaking to someone else. "The rest of you are fine. Why is it hitting her so hard?" He demanded, still speaking softly.

"If I had to guess, I would say it's her metabolism…her body was trying to fight her return from the soul realm. For the rest of us, it was instantaneous. Or…nearly." That was Doctor Strange, his voice just barely a whisper as he moved closer, getting on her other side and wrapping a careful arm around her. Mr. Stark stiffened, and Doctor Strange sighed. "Relax, Stark. I won't hurt your ward. The soul stone was painful for her, returning even more so. Her metabolism means that her body was attempting to put itself together the whole time. Not to mention her senses were muted while she was in the soul stone…now everything is too much for her. Sensory overload. She's still in pain."

She wasn't sure what any of that meant…her brain was trying to piece together all of that information, but it was all too loud. Too much. It had been so quiet before and now…her brain hurt. "Alright, kiddo. It's about to get a whole lot louder. But we're going to the compound and I'm going to get you to the dark room, okay?" She nodded, trying to keep up. "Just lean on me, honey."

And then they were stepping forward through… a portal. She opened her eyes, squinting painfully against the light, and then…loud. So, so much louder than before. "Tony? Is that…"

"Who is she…"

"Kid?"

"She was in the stone how…"

"Tony, how old is she?"

"This is Spider-Girl?"

"Penny? Is she okay?"

The voices all came at once, crippling her. Attacking her.

"Zip it! All of you." Mr. Stark snapped, and then he was scooping her up, her face hidden in his shoulder, arms automatically wrapping around his neck.

And then they were in a room. A dark room.

Sensory deprivation room.

She loved the sensory deprivation room. He'd carried her in there before, usually in the middle of a sensory overload.

She sighed, her entire body relaxing as he lay her on a soft bed. She hadn't been on a bed in so long. His hand landed on hers and she flipped it over, squeezing his hand, probably too tightly as the tears fell. "Mr. Stark…"

"I'm here. I'm right here." She wanted to ask questions. She couldn't. Couldn't figure out which ones to ask. Instead, she sobbed and gasped for air as he held her hand, his thumb rubbing over the back of her hand. "Right here, Penny. I've got you."

She didn't know how long she cried. How long she gripped his hand and listened to him promise that she was going to be okay. But finally, finally, she managed to catch her breath. "Here. Drink." Mr. Stark urged, and a water bottle was held to her lips. She practically yanked it out of his hands, swallowing the water frantically. It had been so long. But she hadn't been thirsty…had she?

"I'm sorry." She whispered after a minute. Mr. Stark dropped a hand on her arm, and in the dark, she could just barely make out the movement.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, hon."

"I didn't…I didn't do anything." She admitted, face turning red with shame. "I didn't…didn't even try to get out…I just lay there…and…"

"There wasn't anything you could have done. None of you could have done anything." He murmured, squeezing her hand. "Nothing. At all."

She was still shaking. She couldn't stop.

"Mr. Stark?"

"Yeah, kiddo?" She swallowed hard, squeezing his hand right back.

"You're….you're real, right? I…I didn't…I thought I was going crazy sometimes and…" She choked on her words, throat closing, and she felt the man sit beside her on the bed, arm wrapping around her, pulling her close.

"I'm real, baby. I'm right here. All of this, it's real. We got you out. You're alive and I'm real." She placed her hand against his chest, listening to it beat…feeling it. Then she moved her hand up the side of his arm and up to his face, fingers moving from his scratchy beard to his soft hair, then stayed there. Nothing in that cold, dead place felt like that.

How long had she been crying? She felt shattered…her mind and her body just…shattered. Was she broken?

"I thought…I thought I'd never get out." She whimpered, voice a little louder. It didn't hurt so much. "Mr. Stark…it was so cold. And…and I couldn't…I couldn't get out."

"I'm so sorry." He spoke a little louder too, rocking her back and forth, the movement soothing as she hid her face in his shoulder. "I'm here now. I got you out."

Her breathing calmed after a long time, and she slumped against Mr. Stark's side, both of them leaning against the wall. "How long?" She finally asked. He took a deep breath.

"That's…that's hard to explain, kiddo. There's actual time travel involved." She felt herself laugh incredulously at his tone…she hadn't laughed in so long. He pressed a hand to the back of her head, taking a head breath as he rested his nose against her hair. "I thought…" He sighed, shaking his head. "I thought I'd never see you again, Pen." He admitted, swallowing hard. "I didn't know…I didn't know how I was going to survive that."

"I missed you." He rubbed a hand up and down her back and it didn't hurt.

"I missed you too, honey. So much." He kissed the top of her hair.

It didn't hurt anymore.

She took a deep breath for the first time in what felt like years. Maybe it had been years. But she could breathe. Mr. Stark was holding her. It didn't hurt anymore.

"Thank you for getting me back." He squeezed her, voice rising to meet hers. This was Tony Stark. Even if she was broken, he would fix her. He could fix anything.

"I'll always get you back."


End file.
